[Wild Roses] back to her
Title: steps
'Verse/characters: Wild Roses; Arianhrod
Prompt: 47C "sentiment"
Word Count: 325
Notes: Definitely will be getting revised, probably edited into the earlier sections and all of 'em expanded. Follows invisible scars.
It took nearly a month of work between the first argument and a stage where her father's Hand was close to ready for her to leave. Once he'd managed to reset his brain from working with the King--she'd never fostered many illusions about her father's willingness to wear black in any sense of the colour--he'd actually kept up admirably well.
The enforced tea breaks while she asked questions about the briefings he gave her might have helped with that; if nothing else he had to sit down and focus on her, instead of however many other things he was trying to accomplish at once. She'd startled him, when she first started asking questions, before he lit up and started expanding his work for her. She had to wonder if her father simply had a greater understanding of the ideas behind the briefings (possible), if he trusted his Hands to lead him if he wandered (unlikely), or if he tackled his brother instead of the people who actually wrote the briefs.
She had nothing enormously better to do than to read what was given to her, and stand still for fittings; Fintain had recently followed Ulysse out to join whatever Brighid's sons were up to, out in the woods, and until the yelling started she wasn't going to stick her head into it. So she read, and asked questions, and tried to keep herself from wearing the gray and blue coat just because it was there.
Eventually, her father's Hand had done all he could, even assembling a few keepers to help her with her clothes and to foster the impression of wealth they presented to the court they visited.
Then it was her turn, gathering invisible threads into her hands and tugging everyone forward with her as they moved from the Keep, to the outer gates of somewhere else.
'Verse/characters: Wild Roses; Arianhrod
Prompt: 47C "sentiment"
Word Count: 325
Notes: Definitely will be getting revised, probably edited into the earlier sections and all of 'em expanded. Follows invisible scars.
It took nearly a month of work between the first argument and a stage where her father's Hand was close to ready for her to leave. Once he'd managed to reset his brain from working with the King--she'd never fostered many illusions about her father's willingness to wear black in any sense of the colour--he'd actually kept up admirably well.
The enforced tea breaks while she asked questions about the briefings he gave her might have helped with that; if nothing else he had to sit down and focus on her, instead of however many other things he was trying to accomplish at once. She'd startled him, when she first started asking questions, before he lit up and started expanding his work for her. She had to wonder if her father simply had a greater understanding of the ideas behind the briefings (possible), if he trusted his Hands to lead him if he wandered (unlikely), or if he tackled his brother instead of the people who actually wrote the briefs.
She had nothing enormously better to do than to read what was given to her, and stand still for fittings; Fintain had recently followed Ulysse out to join whatever Brighid's sons were up to, out in the woods, and until the yelling started she wasn't going to stick her head into it. So she read, and asked questions, and tried to keep herself from wearing the gray and blue coat just because it was there.
Eventually, her father's Hand had done all he could, even assembling a few keepers to help her with her clothes and to foster the impression of wealth they presented to the court they visited.
Then it was her turn, gathering invisible threads into her hands and tugging everyone forward with her as they moved from the Keep, to the outer gates of somewhere else.